[News Today] MOURNING LIVES LOST ON NEW YEAR

[LEAD]
Instead of watching the first sunrise of the new year, citizens gathered to mourn at national memorial altars, including Muan International Airport. They honored Jeju Air crash victims. Sewol ferry disaster families also paid respects, uniting in grief.

[REPORT]
People are seen lined up hundreds of meters outside the Muan International Airport.

They gathered here from all across the nation to remember the victims of the Jeju Air plane crash.

Instead of the new year usuals like observing the year's first sunrise, they came to the memorial altar with grieving hearts.

Min Byeong-seok / Pohang resident
My heart aches more now that I'm at the crash site. I wish nothing like this happens again.

At one point, mourners waited for more than three hours. They held back their tears as they placed chrysanthemums at the altar to offer their condolences.

Choi Jae-hee / Gwangju resident
I saw family photos and a picture of a newlywed. How could I even begin to understand what the bereaved families are going through.

The families of the Sewol ferry sinking victims also visited the joint memorial altar and said they would help the plane crash victims' families who are suffering the same pain.

Snacks, fruits, and wine are placed along the barbed wired fence. The fence providing a view of the accident site has turned into a wall of remembrance for the victims.

Even on New Year's Day, mourners continued to pour into the memorial altars set up at some 90 locations across the country.

Citizens who came out together with their families and friends prayed that no such tragedy be repeated.

Seo Yu-jin / Seoul resident
My heart ached thinking that they must have left excitedly but never made it back. I cried a lot on my way home from work.

There were also many kindhearted citizens who handed out hot drinks and snacks to provide some comfort to the mourners.